Douglas Gunn, who has died aged 80, was a boy chorister at St Patrick's Cathedral and the chapel of Trinity College, Dublin and was later in charge of the choirs at St Patrick's and Christ Church cathedrals, so it was not surprising that his heart was set on a career in music from an early age.
Born in Dublin, he was educated at St Patrick’s School and went on to specialise in early music, playing the recorder and the viola da gamba. He was best known, perhaps for his work with the Douglas Gunn Ensemble, which he founded in the 1960s, continuing to play with the group until the late 1990s, when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Described by an Irish Times critic as "a superb baroque ensemble", it performed at festivals and concerts throughout the country and abroad, receiving high critical acclaim. His fellow musicians in the ensemble were: Deirdre Ní Shé (recorders and baroque bassoon); Rachel Talbot (soprano); Carol O'Connor( baroque cello) andBrian MacKay (harpsichord).
Besides carrying out a special study of music by Irish composers of the 17th and 18th centuries , Gunn arranged, performed and recorded much of the music of Turlough O'Carolan, ranging from Sí beag, sí mór, to Cait Ní Bhríain, Lord Inchiquin, The Princess Royal, Molly O'Rourke and Lord Galway's Lamentation.
Ferment and energy
His arrangements on CD include the music of Daniel, Thomas, and
Ralph Roseingrave
, a famous if somewhat eccentric family of 18th century Dublin organists whose work reflects the ferment and energy then sweeping through Ireland, when the musical life of the country was thriving and composition flourished.
In 1962 he joined RTÉ, working in Cork and Dublin. Blessed with boundless energy in his day, he proceeded to found the Locrian Consort, the Douglas Gunn Ensemble and the Douglas Gunn Singers. At the same time, he was kept busy conducting several choirs, including the Lydian Singers, the RTÉ Singers, the Irish Pro Musica Chorale and Sequence Twenty in Dublin and the Cork Schola Cantorum.
As well as being a composer, he taught baroque chamber music at both the Cork School of Music and the Dublin Early Music Centre, influencing a generation of young musicians, one of whom played the recorder at his funeral.
Patience
Gunn also held occasional sessions for amateurs keen to learn the recorder and was said to be remarkably patient with those who believed the instrument should be played in much the same way, in terms of breath control, as the tin whistle.
Much of his compositional output was for choir, though it also included chamber music, particularly for voice with recorder and other instruments. He received commissions from University College Cork Choral Society; Madrigal 75 (Choir); Cork Municipal School of Music; Westport Arts Festival; Cork Ivy Day Committee; The Cork Schola Cantorum; Binneas Chamber Choir (Limerick); Stephen Lalor (Dublin); Anthony Byrne (Schull), NUI Galway Choral Society, and RTE Lyric fm.
His compositions, editions and arrangements have been widely performed, recorded and broadcast and were published by J and W Chester, Ossian Publications and his own companies, the Poddle Press and Melrose Music MM, which published music and recordings of 17th and 18th century as well as contemporary choral, instrumental, traditional and vocal music.
He is survived by his partner, Deirdre, daughters April and Orla, son, Ralph, and sister Marjorie.